Gameplay-wise, the game looks to be pretty much exactly the same, but developer MercurySteam has kicked everything up a notch with the powers and moves you have available, and the fact that you play as Dracula himself in this game is absolutely awesome.

The game also has more of a goth focus, even though it is set in the modern world.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2 GameSpot Stage Demo

Players can now upgrade their Weapons by the combos you perform, instead of having to use in-game currency. Putting the focus squarely back on fighting and taking out enemies.

Additionally there will be no loading times during the Story Mode and it will also be much longer than the previous game.

One cool new focus of this game will be on platforming, something that took a major backseat with the first Castlevania: Lords of Shadow, but has been a huge focus of past Castlevania games… And the way the developers brought it back is very well done and cool, reminding me of something like Prince of Persia.

Check out the videos to see more of the nitty-gritty with the next installment in the Castlevania series, hitting in 2014 for current-gen consoles and PC.

Beyond: Two Souls for PlayStation 3 was one of the highlights of Sony’s E3 2013 Press Conference, proving that their current-gen system has just as many heavy-hitters as their next-gen console, the PS4.

Beyond: Two Souls E3 2013 Trailer Video

Despite the fact that Beyond: Two Souls was featured at last year’s E3, the game still turned heads even in 2013 at this year’s E3, where the developers showed off an all-new, extremely action-packed segment of the game that is as far removed from Heavy Rain (Beyond developer Quantic Dream’s previous game) in the gameplay department as you can get. With a focus on third-person shooting and twitch gameplay.

While Heavy Rain was extremely “adventure-focused”, somewhat slow-moving, and with action scenes that were entirely based on QTE (Quick-Time Events, the button for an action pops up and you have to hit it to pass, fail or alter what’s happening on-screen); this new footage for Beyond: Two Souls, proved that the game is still full of surprises, and it won’t be a simple follow-up to Heavy Rain.

Beyond: Two Souls E3 2013 Floor Footage

Even though we know a lot about the game, we still don’t know everything, as this E3 proved. And excitement for Beyond has grown even beyond (pun not intended) what it was before. Beyond: Two Souls is definitely one of my most hotly anticipated titles, and another reason to stick with current-gen over next-gen.

Synopsis:
From the visionary mind of David Cage, director of the award-winning Heavy Rain, comes the most powerfully emotional experience on PlayStation 3. A singularly unique psychological action thriller delivered by A-list Hollywood performances, Beyond: Two Souls takes you on a thrilling journey across the globe as you play out the remarkable life of Jodie Holmes.

Beyond: Two Souls E3 2013 GameTrailers Stage Demo

Key Beyond: Two Souls Features:
* Born with a connection to a mysterious entity with incredible powers, Jodie was different. In an adventure spanning 15 years of her life, your actions will determine Jodie’s fate as she faces extraordinary challenges, danger, and heart-wrenching loss on a journey to discover the truth of who she is. Beyond promises an emotionally-charged journey unlike any video game before.
* Dive into a gripping and unpredictable psychological action thriller starring Academy Award-nominees Ellen Page and Willem Dafoe.
* Explore stunning and varied settings across the world in an epic journey through 15 years of a character’s life.
* Control Jodie and an invisible entity through spectacular action sequences and puzzles with unique controls.
* Experience cutting-edge technology from Quantic Dream in one of the best-looking games ever seen on the PlayStation 3.

Watch all the videos to learn much more about Beyond: Two Souls and see lots of gameplay footage of the game in action.

Batman: Arkham Origins was at E3 2013 from publisher Warner Bros. Interactive and new-to-the-franchise developer Warner Bros. Games Montreal, and marks another huge title from the WB.

This new developer was established only in 2010 and their first task was to take the reigns of the Batman series.

Because of this, many people are skeptical about Batman: Arkham Origins living up to the very high pedigree of former developer Rocksteady, whose “Batman: Arkham Asylum” and it’s sequel, “Batman: Arkham City”, were huge critically acclaimed and best-selling hits that put them on the map. Read the rest of this entry »

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is definitely one of the most highly anticipated games of 2013. The game builds on Assassin’s Creed III‘s engine, while taking the theme of the game into pirate-territory with a focus on the ship-battle and boat exploration gameplay that made an appearance in AC3; and expanding it to an entire game.

While the new pirate focus is really cool material to be mined for a videogame, much less an Assassin’s Creed title, the game definitely doesn’t feel as innovative or as big as AC3; as the game essentially looks the same.

I found myself bored with the pirate gameplay, as even though you are a pirate, it just feels like you are on a ship… At least, that’s the impression I got.

Here is the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag E3 2013 Trailer.

Even so, the game is being taken in a lot of new directions. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag has a new protagonist in Edward Kenway, a British pirate and member of the Assassin Order, and descendant of Connor from Assassin’s Cred III. It will feature three new main cities with a large part of the game set in Cuba. The cities include Havana, Kingston and Nassau; with influence from the Spanish, British and local/surrounding area pirates. All told the game will feature over 50 locations to explore, both on land and via naval ship that you can command (You can also hijack and steal other ships and engage in ship-on-ship warfare).

Ubisoft has also taken Assassin’s Creed IV in a much more open-world direction with the 4th installment, and it will be much less scripted and linear than AC3. Hunting both on land and in water via harpoon has also been added, with the hunting system expanded. In addition, the player’s ship can now be upgraded, and underwater gameplay has been added. Meanwhile, recruiting allies, a feature from Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood, returns in AC4. All of this should be good news to AC fans (also, improved crouching!).

Watch all the videos for much more information on this AAA title that will be hitting this year for virtually all platforms. The game will be released on October 29th in America, October 31st in Australia and November 1st 2013 in Europe on Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and WiiU. The game will then hit later this year, likely in November or December, for XboxOne and PS4. Covering just about all the bases except handheld.

Regardless of where you stand on the Assassin’s Creed series, and whether or not you think the yearly annual installment system is making the franchise stale, you have to admit that this game is looking pretty awesome. And I would be surprised if it wasn’t another big hit for Ubisoft. It is a bit surprising that the game is being given a numbered title; but the fact that it stars a new main character, with a new storyline and new pirate direction, make the new numbered title a good fit.

Here are the Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag Stage Demos showing lots of gameplay and details from the game.

Rayman Legends was one of Nintendo’s third-party highlights for WiiU at E3 2013, even though the game will also be released on Xbox 360, PS3 and PS Vita. The game originally was to be a WiiU exclusive, but Ubisoft decided to delay the game a year to develop it for multiple platforms.

The game is a direct sequel to the critically acclaimed Rayman Origins (released for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii in 2011. And in 2012 for PS Vita, PC and 3DS).

Like Origins, Rayman Legends is an absolutely gorgeous piece of art, with hand-drawn styled graphics that pop, and a game world that has to be seen to be believed. The game also features massive monsters, and four-player to five-player co-op support! (5 players on WiiU & PS Vita). Even though this game was at E3 2012, it’s still a mighty impressive game even here at E3 2013 and definitely one to watch for. It will be in our hands soon!

Hopefully it has great sales to boot!

Rayman Legends will be released on September 3 2013 in America, and in Europe on August 30 2013.

Gorgeous is gorgeous!

Official Synopsis:
Rayman, Globox, and the Teensies are off wandering through an enchanted forest when they discover a mysterious tent filled with a series of captivating paintings. As they look more closely, they notice each painting seems to tell the story of a mythical world. While focusing on a painting that shows a medieval land, they are suddenly sucked into the painting, entering the world and the adventure begins. The gang must run, jump and fight their way through each world to save the day and discover the secrets of every legendary painting.

Key Rayman Legends Features:

* Wii U Showcase: Rayman Legends takes advantage of the WiiU and the unique capabilities of the WiiU GamePad. Use the touch screen to take out enemies, manipulate platforms, cut ropes to clear a path and much more. With the gyroscope technology, you can move rotating platforms and there are many more surprises to come!* The Game Must Go On: The WiiU allows you to keep playing the game even when your television is off, continuing Rayman’s adventure on the GamePad.* 5-Player Co-op Gameplay: Now more players can join in on the fun! With four Wii Remote controllers and the GamePad, up to 5 players can play at once. At any time if someone wants to leave or join in, the game will continue without interruption. The PS3 version also supports 5-Players using the PS Vita screen.* 3D Boss Battles: The bosses have a big advantage over Rayman’s gang… an extra dimension! Dragons and other epic creatures can attack from all angles, so you’ll have to be on top of your game to defeat them.* New Challenges: Connect with your friends through a variety of challenges that will test your skill and speed. Check the leaderboards to see where you rank around the world.* Rayman Rocks! – Jump to the beat of a drum, punch to the bass line, even zip-line during a guitar sustain. Timing and rhythm is the key to beat these maps set to music. See if you have what it takes to be a Platforming Hero.* UbiArt Engine Advancements: The UbiArt engine has expanded its abilities to now include 3D gameplay elements, a new lighting design, and a new rendering system which take Rayman’s award-winning graphics to the next level.* The Award-Winning Team Is Back: The legendary team of decorated artists, designers and composers are teaming up again to create new worlds, new characters and a new soundtrack.

David Hayter is Snake no longer! Enter 24’s Kiefer Sutherland, who will now provide the voice of Snake from Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain and forward into the future! Could you think of any better replacement?!

This was confirmed at the Konami Pre-E3 Press Conference, and creator Hideo Kojimi goes into detail on what it was like working with Kiefer, where he sees the franchise heading, what he thinks about the new technology available and coming soon, and how a new watermark and threshold has been reached in videogames with the next generation.

Sadly, it seems that David Hayter was not even told that he’d no longer be reprising his role as Snake, and he was somewhat hurt and bewildered by the decision. He says it was NOT up to him, but to Kojima himself, and that if it was up to David, he’d play Snake forever. He says it makes him a bit ill to hear a new voice coming out of Snake, but that he’ll get over it and move on. He enjoyed the ride immensely, and considers it a great blessing that he got to work for so long on the Metal Gear franchise. He says he is not lacking in employment, and wishes everyone well for the new game and the future.

Hayter further elaborates with his thoughts in this extended video.

Here are further details on Metal Gear Solid 5 from Kojima himself.

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be released later this year or in 2014 for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Are you excited about this development or pissed? It’s a bold and drastic move to replace David with Keifer, yet somehow I think it was a good decision. I personally had grown tired of Snake’s voice, and I think he lost a lot of his luster. Just my person opinion, I still think he sounded best in the original Metal Gear Solid, where his voice was so iconic. But I digress. It will be interesting to see whether or not this decision effects sales of the game. I think it will still be a huge hit for Konami either way, and is MAJOR proof that the current gen consoles are anything but dead yet.